European Union Institutions and functions
EU institutions • EU in constant evolution • exercise some sovereignty • the treaties that have created it • EU institutions in constant evolution • balance of power among institutions • new institutions • EU institutions dense and complex • a triangle of institutions plus the court
Triangle of institutions • European Parliament • elected by the peoples of the Member States • Council of the European Union • representing the governments of the Member States • European Commission • driving force, agenda setter, and executive body
European Commission • Commission proposes EU legislation • Commission oversees and monitors implementation of EU policy • transposition of EU law into national statute • Commission is • the guardian of the treaties • to agitate for the future of European integration
European Commission’s duties • administers EU competition policies • administers Common Agricultural Policy • administers structural funds • plays role in environmental policy • plays role in R&D strategies and programs • regulates workplace health and safety • draws up EU budget • represents EU and member states
European Commissioners (27) • Appointed by member states for 5-year term • President nominated by the European Council • President and entire commission approved by the European Parliament • President assigns each commissioner a portfolio of precise tasks
European Commissioners (27) • A college of equals • broad participation in collective debate • Commission votes only when there’s no consensus • are all required to swear • “to be completely independent in the performance of their duties • “neither seek nor take instructions from any government or from any other body
European Commission • Former president Santer claimed that the Commission would “do less and better” • Commission did do less, but not better • conflict with European Parliament • Parliament threatened to refuse discharge to the 1996 annual budget • entire commission resigned collectively
Council of the EU • Co-decides with the European Parliament • trade and economic matters • justice and home affairs • foreign and security policy • composed of ministers empowered by member states’ government • where member states express preferences
Council of the EU • Different councils in practice • foreign ministers (General Affairs Council) • economics and finance ministers • agriculture ministers • multiplicity of different councils • 90 council meetings per year on average
Council of the EU • Complex decision rules: • unanimity • simple majority • qualified majority voting (232/321) • distributes voting power according to the relative size of different member states • largest countries have 27-29 votes • smallest countries have 3-4 votes
Council of the EU • Committee of Permanent Representatives • member state ambassadors to the EU • their deputies and top staff • secretariat (administrators, legal linguists, etc) • 150 to 200 lower-level working committees • mysterious internal processes • bilateral and multilateral discussions
Presidency of the Council • Presidency of the Council of the EU • rotates among member states every 6 months • oversees Council-Commission relationships • coordinates Council-Parliament interactions • presides over and prepares the European Council summits • speaks for the EU externally on foreign policy matters (excepting trade)
The European Council • Institutionalization of regular meetings of EU heads of state and government
The European Council • the EU’s “board of trustees” • supplements the strategic capacities of the triangle of institutions • usually 2 summits during each 6-month presidency of the Council of Ministers • presidents or prime ministers • plus one other minister (usually the foreign minister)
Evolution of power balance • Council of the EU gains power • at the expense of the European Commission • Council of the EU tends to pass decision-making tasks upward • European Council summits • bilateral agreements between member states • bypass EU institutions altogether
European Parliament • growing power and influence • Members of European Parliament • have been directly elected since 1979 • 5-year terms • run on national party tickets • 785 seats allocated among member states • number of seats for each country ranges from 99 (Germany) to 5 (Malta)
European Parliament • codecision • Council and Commission must consult the Parliament • The European Parliament has the right • to approve all nominees to the Commission • to remove the entire Commission if a vote of censure passes by a two-thirds margin • to approve the budget
Members of European Parliam. • European-level party groups • European Socialists • Christian Democrats • general commitment to social market economies • there can be no substitute for market • welfare state programs and negotiated decisions
European Court of Justice • European Court of Justice • created in ECSC treaty of 1957 • sits in Luxembourg • establish the primacy of European law • major institutional actor in the recognition that European law is superior to and supersedes member state law
European Court of Justice • plenary session when dealing with matters brought by EU institutions or member state • over 3,000 decisions since 1957 • “European citizenship” • right to move and to live in any member state • right to vote and to be elected in elections • right to petition the European Parliament • entitled to full diplomatic protection
EU Decision Making • The Complexities of EU Decision Making • Policy making more complex and confusing because it has to reconcile interests of its 27 member states with those that transcend national boundaries • The institutions are greatly fragmented • Still being built
European Central Bank • European Central Bank • sits atop a system of European central banks • responsible for monetary policy • manages the euro • complete autonomy in monetary sphere • indirectly decides on economic policy
Other EU institutions
